Celebrity
Comedian Tom Smothers, One-Half Of The Smothers Brothers, Dies At 86
Tom Smothers, half of the Smothers Brothers and co-host of one of television’s most socially conscious and revolutionary series, has died at age 86.
Smothers died Tuesday at home in Santa Rosa, California, after a cancer struggle, according to a statement released by the National Comedy Center on behalf of his family on Wednesday.
“Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner,” his brother and the other half of the partnership, Dick Smothers, said in a statement. “Our relationship was similar to a good marriage in that the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected each other.” We were very fortunate.”
When “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” aired on CBS in the fall of 1967, it was an instant hit, much to the astonishment of many who had felt the network’s expectations were so low that their show was positioned opposite the top-rated “Bonanza.”
Comedian Tom Smothers, One-Half Of The Smothers Brothers, Dies At 86
With its sharp eye for pop culture trends and young rock stars like the Who and Buffalo Springfield, the Smothers Brothers would prove a turning point in television history, and its daring sketches — mocking the Establishment, railing against the Vietnam War, and portraying members of the era’s hippie counterculture as gentle, fun-loving spirits — found an immediate audience with young baby boomers. In its debut season, the show ranked 16th in the ratings.
It also irritated network censors. After years of wrangling with the brothers over the creative substance of the show, the network abruptly cancelled it in 1970, accusing the siblings of failing to submit an episode in time for the censors to approve.
When Smothers was granted an honorary Emmy for his contributions to the program over 40 years later, he playfully praised the writers he said had gotten him fired. He also demonstrated that the passage of time had not blunted his candour.
“It’s difficult for me to remain silent when I keep hearing that peace can only be achieved through war,” Smothers stated at the 2008 Emmy Awards as his brother sat grinning in the audience. He dedicated his prize to individuals “who feel compelled to speak out and are not afraid to speak to power, won’t shut up, and refuse to be silenced.”
Comedian Tom Smothers, One-Half Of The Smothers Brothers, Dies At 86
Throughout the show’s three-year run, the brothers battled CBS censors and occasionally outraged viewers, most notably when Smothers joked that Easter “is when Jesus comes out of his tomb and if he sees his shadow, he goes back in and we get six more weeks of winter.” When other hosts delivered Christmas greetings to soldiers fighting overseas, Smothers sent his to draft dodgers who had relocated to Canada.
In another show, the brothers aired for the first time in years, blacklisted folk singer Pete Seeger. He sang “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy,” which was generally interpreted as a satire of President Lyndon B. Johnson. When CBS declined to broadcast the section, the brothers brought Seeger back for another episode, and he sang it again. It made the air this time.
Following the show’s cancellation, the brothers sued CBS for $31 million and were awarded $775,000. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour’s fights with the network were documented in the 2002 documentary “Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.”
“Tom Smothers was not only an extraordinary comedic talent, who, together with his brother Dick, became the most enduring comedy duo in history, entertaining the world for over six decades — but was a true champion for freedom of speech, harnessing the power of comedy to push boundaries and our political consciousness,” Journey Gunderson, the executive director of the National Comedy Center, said in a statement following the news.
Thomas Bolyn Smothers III was born on February 2, 1937, on Governors Island, New York, where his father was a Navy major. Two years later, his brother was born. Their father was transferred to the Philippines in 1940, along with his wife, two sons, and their sister, Sherry.
The family was returned home after the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor, but Maj. Smothers stayed. During the war, he was seized by the Japanese and perished in captivity. The family later relocated to Redondo Beach, a Los Angeles suburb, where Smothers assisted his mother in caring for his brother and sister while she worked.
Comedian Tom Smothers, One-Half Of The Smothers Brothers, Dies At 86
The brothers appeared unlikely to go down in television history. They’d spent years performing in nightclubs and colleges and making TV appearances, crafting an odd comic performance that mingled folk music with a fair dose of sibling rivalry.
They’d walk on stage, Tom holding a guitar and Dick holding an upright bass. They’d break into a traditional folk song, like “John Henry” or “Pretoria.” After a few bars, Tom, the dumb one, would make a mistake, then immediately say he didn’t mean to. “Mom always liked you best!” exclaimed Dick, the serious, short-tempered one, as he criticized him for failing to recognize his fault.
They carried on with that gag on their show but also surrounded themselves with a great ensemble of rookies, both writers and actors.
Smothers’ writing team included future actor-director Rob Reiner, musician Mason Williams, and comic Steve Martin, who presented Smothers with the lifetime Emmy. John Hartford, Glen Campbell, and Jennifer Warnes were among the regular musical guests.
Bob Einstein played Officer Judy, a glum Los Angeles cop who once fined guest Liberace for playing the piano too fast. Leigh French, who played the hippie earth mother in “Share a Little Tea With Goldie,” always seemed to be drinking something made with more than simply tea leaves.
When Tom, then a San Jose State University student, created the Casual Quintet and urged his younger brother to study the bass and join, the siblings began their own act. After the other musicians dropped out, the brothers remained as a pair but began interspersing comedy with their limited folk music repertoire.
Their big break came in 1959 when they performed at San Francisco’s Purple Onion, a hot spot for emerging talent. They were booked for two weeks and remained for a record 36 nights. They were booked into New York’s Blue Angel and were praised by The New York Times as “a pair of tart-tongued singing comedians.” However, they could not appear on “The Tonight Show,” which was then hosted by Jack Paar.
“Paar kept telling our agent that he didn’t like folk singers — except for Burl Ives,” Smothers said to The Associated Press in 1964. “But he had a cancellation one night, so we went on.” That night, everything worked perfectly.”
Comedian Tom Smothers, One-Half Of The Smothers Brothers, Dies At 86
The brothers went on to appear on Steve Allen, Ed Sullivan, Garry Moore, Andy Williams, Jack Benny, and Judy Garland’s TV shows. Their comedy albums sold well, and they toured the country, particularly colleges.
In 1965, they were cast in “The Smothers Brothers Show,” a sitcom about a businessman (Dick) plagued by his late brother (Tom), a budding guardian angel. It only lasted one season.
After CBS cancelled the “Comedy Hour,” ABC picked it up as a summer substitute but did not return in the fall. In 1975, NBC offered them a show, but it failed to establish an audience and lasted only one season. In the 1970s, the brothers went their separate ways. Among other things, Smothers ventured into the wine industry, establishing Remick Ridge Vineyards in Northern California’s wine district.
“Originally the winery was called Smothers Brothers, but I changed the name to Remick Ridge because when people heard Smothers Brothers wine, they thought something like Milton Berle Fine Wine or Larry, Curly and Mo Vineyards,” Smothers was quoted as saying.
They eventually reunited to star in the Broadway hit “I Love My Wife,” which lasted two years. They then went back on the road, performing at casinos, performing arts centres, and business meetings across the country, where they remained popular for decades.
“We just keep resurfacing,” said Smothers in 1997. “We’re just not in everyone’s face long enough to really get old.”
CBS buried the hatchet and brought them back after a successful 20th anniversary, “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” in 1988.
The show was swiftly cancelled, but it remained on the air long enough for Smothers to introduce the “Yo-Yo Man,” a routine in which he demonstrated his remarkable skills with a yo-yo as he and his brother maintained a regular pattern of comedy. The routine lasted in their act for many years.
Smothers has three children and married three times. His wife Marie, daughters Bo and Riley Rose, and brother Dick, as well as other family, survive him. His son Tom and sister Sherry predeceased him.
SOURCE – (AP)
CANNES, France — The Cannes Film Festival began Tuesday with the announcement of Greta Gerwig’s jury and the giving of an honorary Palme d’Or to Meryl Streep, as the French Riviera spectacle started its possibly tumultuous 77th edition.
The opening night picture, “The Second Act,” a French comedy starring Lea Seydoux, Vincent Lindon, Louis Garrel, and Raphaël Quenard, will usher in a 10-day parade of stars down Cannes’ iconic red carpet. During the opening ceremony, Streep will get her honorary Palme.
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Cannes Kicks Off With Greta Gerwig’s Jury And A Palme D’Or For Meryl Streep
In the coming days, Cannes will debut George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” Francis Ford Coppola’s self-financed “Megalopolis,” and anticipated new films from Paolo Sorrentino, Yorgos Lanthimos, Andrea Arnold, and Kevin Costner.
However, much of this year’s Cannes controversy has occurred off-screen.
French actor Judith Godrèche accused two film directors of rape and sexual assault when she was a teenager earlier this year, and the French film industry has been grappling with probably its defining #MeToo moment since. Godrèche’s short film “Moi Aussi” will premiere on Wednesday.
When asked about #MeToo’s expansion in France, Gerwig told reporters in Cannes on Tuesday that it is progressing.
“I think people in the community of movies telling us stories and trying to change things for the better is only good,” Gerwig stated. “I’ve witnessed significant shift in the American cinema scene, and I believe it’s critical that we continue to broaden that conversation. So I believe it’s only advancing things in the right direction. Keep the lines of communication open.”
Gerwig, fresh off the success of “Barbie,” is president of the jury that will decide Cannes’ top prize, the Palme d’Or. Thierry Fremaux commended her on Monday as “the ideal director” for Cannes, citing her ability to work in both arthouse and studio films and her passion for movie history. And, “We very much liked ‘Barbie.'”
Gerwig is joined on the jury by Lily Gladstone, star of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” French actor Eva Green, Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona, French actor Omar Sy, Lebanese actor and director Nadine Labaki, Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, Turkish screenwriter Ebru Ceylan, and Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino.
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Cannes Kicks Off With Greta Gerwig’s Jury And A Palme D’Or For Meryl Streep
The jurors were asked how the numerous real-world concerns outside the festival would influence their decision-making. One film in competition, Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice,” portrays Sebastian Stan as a youthful Donald Trump. And Labaki was asked if she was thinking about the war in Gaza.
“I truly believe that one of the tools to really change something in the situation we all live in right now, which is a situation I think is not that great, is really through art and through cinema,” Labaki stated. “It may propose a more tolerant way of seeing things and seeing each other as human beings.”
“This is why I decided that I could be here without feeling guilty as a human being,” stated Favino. “Because if we look for beauty, then we might look for peace.”
Other fears are circulating this year’s Cannes. Festival workers, frustrated with short-term contracts that make them ineligible for unemployment benefits between events, have threatened to strike.
On Monday, Iranian filmmaker Mohammed Rasoulof, whose film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” will be shown in competition at Cannes next week, said that he had escaped Iran after being sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging. The film is described as a scathing depiction of the Iranian regime.
AP – VOR News Image
Cannes Kicks Off With Greta Gerwig’s Jury And A Palme D’Or For Meryl Streep
As Cannes continues, many will be fixated on the celebs who walk the festival’s iconic red carpet. Emma Stone, Anya Taylor-Joy, Demi Moore, Selena Gomez, Nicolas Cage, and Barry Keoghan will be among the cast. George Lucas will be presented with an honorary Palme d’Or during the closing ceremony on May 25.
Regardless, the 77th Cannes Film Festival will have many expectations to meet. Last year’s festival, which was universally praised for its impressive roster, yielded three Oscar best picture nominees: “Anatomy of a Fall,” “The Zone of Interest,” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” To help reignite last year’s spirit, Messi, the canine hero of “Anatomy of a Fall,” has returned to Cannes for a series of quick French TV advertisements.
A successful Cannes will help France maintain the global spotlight throughout the summer. The French Open, Tour de France, and Summer Olympics in Paris will all take place after the festival. On May 21, the Olympic flame will be carried to the Palais des Festivals, the festival’s focal point.
SOURCE – (AP)
NEW YORK — Actor Steve Buscemi is well after being hit in the face by a man on a New York City street, his publicist confirmed Sunday.
The 66-year-old star of “Fargo” and “Boardwalk Empire” was beaten late Wednesday morning in Manhattan and transported to a local hospital for bruises, swelling, and bleeding in his left eye.
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Actor Steve Buscemi Is OK After Being Punched In The Face In New York City
“Steve Buscemi was assaulted in Mid-Town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city,” according to a statement from his publicist on Sunday. “He is ok and appreciates everyone’s well wishes.”
The New York Post was first to report the assault.
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Actor Steve Buscemi Is OK After Being Punched In The Face In New York City
The New York Police Department issued a nameless statement regarding the assault on Wednesday. Steve’s representative confirmed Sunday that the anonymous assault victim in the police report was the actor.
According to the police department, no arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
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Actor Steve Buscemi Is OK After Being Punched In The Face In New York City
Michael Stuhlbarg, Buscemi’s “Boardwalk Empire” co-star, was hit in the back of the neck by a rock while walking in Manhattan’s Central Park on March 31. Stuhlbarg chased his attacker, who was apprehended outside the park.
SOURCE – (AP)
Los Angeles — Roger Corman, the “King of the Bs” who helped produce low-budget classics like “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Attack of the Crab Monsters” and handed many of Hollywood’s most famous actors and directors their first breaks, has died. He was 98.
Corman died on Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, California, according to a statement issued Saturday by his wife and children.
“He was generous, open-hearted, and kind to all those who knew him,” the statement stated. “When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a filmmaker, just that.'”
Starting in 1955, Corman produced and directed hundreds of B-movies, including “Black Scorpion,” “Bucket of Blood,” and “Bloody Mama.” He was a fantastic talent judge, hiring promising directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard, James Cameron, and Martin Scorsese. Corman was presented with an honorary Academy Award in 2009.
“There are many constraints connected with working on a low budget, but at the same time there are certain opportunities,” Corman stated in a 2007 documentary about Val Lewton, the 1940s filmmaker of “Cat People” and other underground masterpieces.
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Roger Corman, Hollywood Mentor And ‘King Of The Bs,’ Dies At 98
“You may gamble a little more. You are welcome to experiment. “You must find a more creative way to solve a problem or present a concept,” he explained.
Corman’s films may be traced back to the 1970s when Hollywood peaked.
Jack Nicholson made his cinematic debut as the titular character in “The Cry Baby Killer,” a 1958 Corman quickie, and continued to work with the company on biker, horror, and action films, writing and producing others. Other performers who began their careers with Corman films included Robert De Niro, Bruce Dern, and Ellen Burstyn.
Peter Fonda’s participation in “The Wild Angels” foreshadowed his own iconic biker film, “Easy Rider,” which co-starred Nicholson and another Corman alum, Dennis Hopper. “Boxcar Bertha,” starring Barbara Hershey and David Carradine, was one of Scorsese’s early films.
Corman’s B-movie directors were given small budgets and frequently told to complete their films in as little as five days. When Howard, who went on to win an Oscar for best director for “A Beautiful Mind,” requested an extra half-day to reshoot a sequence for “Grand Theft Auto” in 1977, Corman informed him, “Ron, you can come back if you want, but nobody else will be there.”
“Roger Corman was my first boss, my lifelong mentor, and my inspiration. Roger was one of the greatest innovators in film history,” Gale Ann Hurd, whose famous producing accomplishments include the “Terminator” film franchise, “The Abyss,” and “The Walking Dead” television series, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Initially, only drive-ins and specialty theaters would show Corman films, but national chains gave in as youngsters began to flock. Corman’s films were unusually candid about sex and drugs at the time, such as his 1967 movie “The Trip,” an explicit story about LSD written by Nicholson and starring Fonda and Hopper.
Meanwhile, he found a profitable sideline releasing renowned foreign films in the United States, including Ingmar Bergman’s “Cries and Whispers,” Federico Fellini’s “Amarcord,” and Volker Schlondorff’s “The Tin Drum.” The latter two received Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film.
Corman began his career as a messenger boy for Twentieth Century Fox before becoming a plot analyst. After briefly leaving the company to study English literature at Oxford University, he returned to Hollywood and began his career as a film producer and director.
Despite his frugal tendencies, Corman maintained positive relationships with his directors, saying he never dismissed one because “I wouldn’t want to inflict that humiliation.”
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Roger Corman, Hollywood Mentor And ‘King Of The Bs,’ Dies At 98
Years later, some of his old underlings repaid his goodwill. Coppola cast him in “The Godfather, Part II,” Jonathan Demme put him in “The Silence of the Lambs” and “Philadelphia,” and Howard cast him in “Apollo 13.”
Most of Corman’s films were swiftly forgotten by all except the most devoted fans. A rare exception was 1960’s Little Shop of Horrors, which starred a violent plant that ate humans and starred Nicholson in a minor but notable role as a pain-loving dental patient. It sparked a long-running theater musical and a 1986 musical adaptation starring Steve Martin, Bill Murray, and John Candy.
In 1963, Corman began a film series based on Edgar Allan Poe’s works. The most prominent was “The Raven,” which starred Nicholson with renowned horror actors Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, and Basil Rathbone. Corman directed the horror spoof on a rare three-week timetable, and it received positive reviews, which was unusual for his films. The Library of Congress determined that another Poe adaption, “House of Usher,” was worthy of preservation.
“It was a privilege to know him. He was an excellent friend. “He shaped my childhood with science fiction movies and Edgar Allen Poe epics,” John Carpenter, director of “Halloween,” “The Thing,” and other great horror and action flicks, told X. “I’ll miss you, Roger.”
Near the end of his life, Karloff appeared in another Corman-backed film, the 1968 thriller “Targets,” which marked Peter Bogdanovich’s directorial debut.
Corman’s success led to bids from major studios, and he directed “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” and “Von Richthofen and Brown” on conventional budgets. Both were disappointments, and he attributed their failure to front-office influence.
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Roger Corman, Hollywood Mentor And ‘King Of The Bs,’ Dies At 98
Roger William Corman was born in Detroit and raised in Beverly Hills, but “not in the affluent section,” as he once stated. He graduated from Stanford University with an engineering degree and moved to Hollywood after serving in the Navy for three years.
Following his time at Oxford, he worked as a television stagehand and literary agent before discovering his life’s profession.
In 1964, he married Julie Halloran, a UCLA graduate and producer.
Catherine, Roger, Brian, and Mary are the four children he left behind along with his wife, Julie.
SOURCE – (AP)
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